Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock Rating Upgraded by UBS Group

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at UBS Group from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $165.00 price objective on the specialty retailer's stock, up from their prior price objective of $140.00. UBS Group's target price suggests a potential downside of 3.12% from the company's current price.

WSM has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Williams-Sonoma to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $177.93.

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Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 4.1 %

NYSE:WSM traded up $6.67 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $170.32. 2,403,059 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,917,784. The stock has a market cap of $20.97 billion, a PE ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82. Williams-Sonoma has a 12 month low of $125.33 and a 12 month high of $219.98. The company has a fifty day moving average of $196.63 and a 200 day moving average of $172.90.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.40. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.44 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma's revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total value of $273,602.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,014,116.16. This represents a 2.95 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total value of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at $196,263,808.16. This represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WSM. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 94.8% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 19,535 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,026,000 after purchasing an additional 9,509 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 27.2% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 38,512 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $5,966,000 after buying an additional 8,237 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 67.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 29,959 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,641,000 after acquiring an additional 12,061 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 118.7% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,110,320 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $326,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,145,410 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 92.5% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 44,130 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $6,837,000 after acquiring an additional 21,200 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.